Thursday, June 23, 2011

Keep on moving

Reported by Marlous Schoemaker
The second and final day of our Valve World event is almost over. The gentlemen from Freeman, the booth construction company, are probably eating steak and pasta at this very moment in preparation for the Herculean efforts to come. For all the valves, actuators and other accessories have to be quickly packed up and shipped away. Where exactly I’m not sure: perhaps they will take centre stage at another global event or – who knows – be put into service in a plant somewhere, controlling the flow of slurry, oil, water or whatever medium is being conveyed from A to B.

We humans will follow their example. I mean of course going on a journey. For me that means travelling back to the Netherlands. And it also means I will not be returning to this particular location – the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. In 2013 the Americas Expo will be hosted in the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. The reason for this move is very positive: the fair has grown so much. Who would not want to see more valves, people and booths? And yet for me the change is also tinged with sadness. The Woodlands is comfortably familiar. I have been here several times; it was in this very hotel that I sat out the worst of hurricane Ike in 2009 and I feel at home as soon as I stride through the doors and catch a whiff of the lobby fragrance. But as one set of (hall) doors closes another opens and that’s good, too. And I guess that in the downtown area they wear boots as well, don’t they?

P.S. In my first blog I mentioned that I had a bit of a thing for cowboy boots. Well, in Houston that has turned into quite an obsession. For three days now I have been immortalizing both boots and their wearers. If all goes to plan, we’ll soon be running a little competition to see if you can correctly pair up footwear and owners. So keep an eye on the Valve World website….

Take care and be safe, y’all!

Check out our Valve World Americas 2011 photo gallery.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

My name is .....

Reported by Marlous Schoemaker

Al Monsouri, Garcia, Jackson, Kumar, Rossi, Wu and so on. It might only have been 07:10 in the morning, but even so the first visitors were queuing to pick up their badges from the assembled Valve World staff. Now, three hours later, people are still joining the row. Everyone wants to see the latest valves, meet old friends and glean fresh technical insights. And that’s exactly what seems to be happening. Throughout the exhibition hall and in the conference rooms, people are getting together. Everywhere you turn you see warm hugs and heart-felt handshakes, quickly followed by smiling faces and interested nods when the conversations get going. And between times, visitors are carefully appraising all the wares. In short, the atmosphere is great and the show only started a few hours ago. The rest of the world can surely learn a lot from our mini society called Valve World…

Check out our Valve World Americas 2011 photo gallery.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Booths and Boots

Monday, 2 p.m.
Reported by Marlous Schoemaker

The booths in the hall are literally taking shape. Curtains have been hung, power connected, carpets laid and steel edifices put up. Outside things are looking busier too: SUVs packed with valves, posters and all the other bits and pieces that can turn a humble booth into a temporary home are rumbling into the parking lot. Each one bigger and shinier than the last. Wonderful! And my heart jumps for joy when I espy cowboy boots emerging from one of these vehicles. Oh yes, I may be a Dutch lass, but I share a passion for this footwear with those Texan cowboys! I could talk with them for hours about the professional finish, the ideal fit, the different designs, the beautiful materials and just how durable they really are. But of course it’s the valves that will take centre-stage this week. The latest designs, the materials of construction, the trims, the finishes, the coatings… all that and more can be seen on the 90-odd booths starting Tuesday. But I’ll also be keeping a quiet eye open for more boots, of course.

Monday, June 20, 2011

All set to go!

At the time of writing, all the preparations for the Valve World Conference and Expo Americas 2011 are drawing to a satisfactory close. In the expo hall the stands are getting a final dusting down, the conference venue has been appropriately kitted out and quite a number of the delegates and exhibition staff have started to arrive. In fact, as the photo shows, the Valve World staff look relaxed and confident that everything will be just right for the grand opening tomorrow, Tuesday, 21st June.

The show will be the inaugural Expo & Conference in the Americas and has received support from all sides of the industry. Leading names will be at the expo, whilst top speakers will grace the lecture halls. There is still time to visit: just come down to the Woodlands Waterways Marriott Hotel & Convention Center near Houston and you can arrange both an expo visit as well as book a conference delegate ticket on-site.

Valve World Expo and Conference Americas 2011

Valve World Expo and Conference Americas 2011 will be held in June 21-22, 2011 in the Woodlands Waterways Marriott Hotel & Convention Center near Houston, Texas. This conference with an exhibition component will be a collaboration between Messe Düsseldorf and KCI Publishing. This event will develop into a the leading event for valves and valve accessories in the North and South American continents.
Valve World Americas launches on June 21st! Stick around for live feed, reports and much more!!!